Communion wafer tray



Patented Apr. 2, 1946 C OMLIUNION WAFER TRAY Martlnus Casper Johnshoy, Star-buck, Minn.; '0lava Johnshoy special administratrix of said Martinus Casper J ohnshoy, deceased Application February 23, 1944, Serial No. 523,593

I 2 Claims.

This invention relates to communion trays, and has for its object the provision of novel means for holding communion wafers in position so that they can be removed by the communicant during the service. In communion, two or moremethods are in common practice, one of which is for the minister to place the bread or wafers on the tongue of the communicant and the other of which is to have the communicant remove the wafer from a plate containing a number of them; and still another is for the minister to place a wafer in the hand of the communicant, but in all of these there are objections from a standpoint of sanitation and the consumption of time, and the element of time and the labor of the minister is a consideration where, as often happens, the congregations are large as, for instance, at different services over three hundred have taken communion. Hence, the importance of the invention will be appreciated.

It is an object of this invention to produce a self-service communion wafer tray in which the wafers are held in slots of the tray in a substantially vertical position and preferably diagonally with relation to the communicant, so that when the right hand of the communicant is extended to remove a wafer, the wafer is in a position natural for the manipulation of the hand of the communicant in removing the said wafer.

It is an object of the invention furthermore to provide a plurality of such trays which can be nested, one on the other, and provided with means to prevent accidental dislodgement or displacement of the superimposed trays; and it is furthermore an object to provide trays of the character indicated which can be expeditiously manipulated in stacking them, one on the other, or for removing them, one at a time, as the contents of the trays are exhausted.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a tray of the character indicated which is attractive in appearance, efficient and satisfactory in use, and comparatively inexpensive to produce and maintain.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists in the details of construction, and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this application, wherein like characters denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 illustrates a plan view of a tray embodying the invention;

Figure 2 illustrates a view in elevation of a plurality of superimposed trays, the same being partly in section, to illustrate the relation of one to the other and the relation of the wafers to the trays;

Figure 3 illustrates a view'in elevation of one end of one of the trays;

Figure 4 illustrates a sectional view on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Figure 5 illustrates an enlarged detail of a fragment of one of the trays containing a wafer; and

Figure 6 illustrates a sectional view on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

In the present embodiment of the invention the tray comprises a wafer-supporting base or bottom I, which may be termed a tray plate, having side and end walls 8 and 9, respectively,

" which may be regarded as the frame for carrying the member I; it being shown that the walls have grooves such as ill in their inner surfaces, into which the member 1 is seated and secured in appropriate manner, as by adhesive, glue, or the like, and the tray in the present embodiment is constructed of wood with an attractive finish.

The end and side members 8 and 9 have convex upper edges as shown at II, and concave lower edges as shown at l2, and when the trays are superimposed the convex edge is seated in the concave edge of the tray thereabove, this assembly being illustrated in Fig. 2.

The member I, or what may be termed the bottom of the tray, is provided with rows of slots l3 of a width corresponding to the thicknes of a wafer l4 and since the slots are made by the use of circular saws, the length of the slot is greater at the upper surface of the member I than in the lower surface thereof, and the diameter of the wafer is greater than the width of the slot so that the wafer is lodged in the slot with a substantial portion of the wafer above the member I in order that the wafer can thereby be more expeditiously handled by the communicant, as fully shown in Fig. 6 Where the wafer is illustrated as applied to a slot.

. The lengths of these slots may be made to accord with the diameter of the wafer being used and so proportioned that the wafer will have a firm lodgment in the slot to prevent accidental displacement of it. As has been stated, the slots [3 are positioned diagonally with relation to the length of the tray, the wafers being at the angle of the right hand of the communicant as it is extended. By setting the wafers at this angle, some clearance is afforded so that the wafers are more accessible than if they were in slots vent anyinjury to. the wafers when the traysare, It

superimposed with relation to' one another. is shown in Figs. 2 and 3 that the end member of the frame'has a groove l5 as a finger grip to facilitate the manipulation or handling ofthe tray.

It is obvious that wafers can be applied to the trays prior to the service and lodged at any-"convenient part of the altar, pulpit, or other part 01 the church where the communion is to begadministered. Hence, it is believed unnecessary to dwell further on the manner of use of the communiontray, as different churcheshave different appropriate places for the rite.; Y 7

It isbelieved unnecessaryior an understanding of the: invention by one. skilled, in the art to specify or limit the. invention to the particular method of making the tray or of forming the slots or joints between the several elements or parts thereof, since the illustration is clear as to the relation of parts and their assembly.

It isv furthermore unnecessary to enlarge; upon the proportions of the diiferent parts ofv the tray as they can be varied within predetermined bounds and the slots will of course be proportioned as to length and width to accommodate the communion wafers employed.

I claim:

1. In a communion wafer tray, a tray plate having wafer receiving slots diagonal with respect to the length of the tray, the slots being of a length less than the diameter of a Wafer lodged therein, in order'that thebottom wall of the slots will support the wafers, and a frame in which the plate is secured, said frame comprising side and end members with convex upper edges and concave lower edges whereby trays may be superimposed; one on theother, with the convex upper edge of one tray in the concave lower edge of the imposed, onevon. the other, with the convex upper- Q ed e of one, tray in the concave. lower edge. oi the superimposed tray, the end membersof the frame being grooved, to form finger gripping surfaces.

MARTINUS CASPER JOHNSHQY.v 

